Monday, 10 March 2014

How can you do that?

The capacity humans have for being selfish always amazes me. I find this trait comes to the fore when it involves the use of public transport.

The number of times I get on to a full train only to find that someone seems to think that their ticket includes the fare for their coat or bag too, never cease to take me aback. Adults who are more than comfortable to see their fellow traveller 'strap hang' while their accessories take up a seat. When I see this I will invariably ask them to move the offending item so someone can sit. The looks I generally get are outstanding. They suggest that the individual concerned is shocked that the seat is not for their accessories, and that someone might want to use it.

We then have the individual who thinks that ALL of the floor space is for their use, so if they have a selection of bags, they will be positioned in such a way as to inconvenience themselves only a little, but their fellow travellers a lot. God forbid that the bag should be on their feet, rather than yours? Who cares, they clearly don't!

And how many times have I witnessed people 'super glued' to the Priority Seats, when someone who is clearly at some disadvantage gets on, only to have to stand. I don't know how people can be that unaware of their fellow travellers.

However, the counter to this is the individual who will offer their seat to others without hesitation, even when they are a little infirm themselves. That makes my heart happy and restores my faith in human kind. Unfortunately the former tend to outnumber the latter by quite a multiple.